Bedtime Stories
by KoolKat189
Summary: Remember Matsuda and Sayu from episode 27? Well, despite the odds, the two have married after all! Now Matsuda has an entire story to share with his children about the infamous Kira case and what happened afterwards.
1. Chapter 1

Another Life in the Day

"...and in the end, we found once-mighty Kira aka your uncle lying dead in the warehouse. Luckily, we evaded the news press's consistent inquires over Kira's real identity, the Task Force reassembled once again, and I married the love of my life, who gave me two beautiful babies. And we all lived happily ever after. The. _End._ " Touta Matsuda emphasized the last word with apparent relief, as though finally releasing a burden off his chest.

"Finally," Sayu Matsuda sighed, who was sitting on the couch next to Touta and holding starry-eyed Soichiro close. " _Finally_ , it's over with."

"I'm glad I know more about uncle Light," six-year-old Soichiro responded solemnly.

"But you looked rather disturbed during every story time for the past month!" his mother said

Eight-year-old Ayumi, perched on her father's lap, cried, "Aww, I can't believe it! The story was so good; I never wanted it to end!"

"Ah, but it really did happen! That's what makes it all the more exciting," Touta said, smiling.

"But, Touta," Sayu said worriedly, "only _you_ could have the gall to tell a bedtime story about killers and shinigami and death notes to children that age. It's disturbing for young children!"

"Don't worry, Sayu!" Touta rubbed the back of his neck and laughed, albeit a trifle shakily. "Ask Ayumi, was _she_ affected in any way?"

"Nope! Best bedtime story ever!" Ayumi answered cheerily, bouncing up and down on her father's knee.

"But what about you, Soichiro?" Sayu demanded.

"Yes. Like I said, it was interesting, and I liked it too," Soichiro repeated steadily, though his knuckles were white from the grip on his mother's shirt.

Sayu didn't buy it. But she decided to discuss this a bit later – when she could prove to her feather-brain of a husband that scary stories had a bad influence on little children, even if the effects were subtle.

"Off, children." Sayu dropped little Soichiro down and waved Ayumi off, too. "Your father and I want to have a little talk."

The two children retreated silently, but in the corner of the room to play instead of their bedroom, as they did whenever they waited for their parents to _really_ shoo them to bed, and then say good night to them.

"How was work today, dear?"

"Exhausting. What a long day, as usual." Groaning, Touta Matsuda pressed his hands to his face. "Why do killers always choose Saturdays to carry out their murders? Anyways, we had another homicide report come in today. We connected it to the bizarre ciphers that have been popping up all over downtown lately. Have you ever heard of the Zodiac case?"

"I can't say that I have."

"It's a famous American case a bit similar to ours, only it was never solved. That wise guy Near thinks he has what it takes to crack the case, but this is still gonna be tough." He sighed. "Poor homicide victim had his brains bashed with a table leg, turns out. Gruesome, but that's what you expect to see when you're a police detective."

While Touta was relating this, a confrontation arose between the children.

"I bet you were scared. Especially of that creepy shinigami," Ayumi teased, and she began to tug on Soichiro's sleeve, who was on the floor putting together a complicated puzzle.

"No."

"Whaddya mean, 'no'?"

"No, I wasn't scared."

"I heard you kept having nightmares. You know, you're not gonna be good police detective if you're scared of everything."

"Just leave me alone, Ayumi," he snapped.

But Ayumi didn't stop there, and she brought herself up to her full height.

"Fine," she said haughtily. "I'll prove what a scaredy-cat you are." She ran upstairs, and in another minute she returned, clutching a notebook in her hand.

"See this?" Smirking, she held up a black notebook with the words "Death Note" scrawled messily onto the cover. "If you were brave, you'd fight me and take this notebook from me before I kill you first."

"You're bluffing! It's just a fake notebook!" Soichiro retaliated. But since he was only six, the thought of a premature death gripped him so that he was frozen in fear.

Ayumi grinned. "Oh, _you_ don't know that. For instance, would you believe me if I said I see a shinigami right behind me?"

Clearly, she could be very heartless sometimes. She opened the notebook to a random page and started writing.

"No-o-o-o!" Soichiro cried in fright, which elevated to a scream. He lunged at the notebook, and by the time he did, their parents already noticed.

"Oh, look, honey," Touta said blankly to a horrified Sayu, not believing that their daughter had crossed the line with her antics – again. "Ayumi is continuing the legacy of Kira." Then he instantly leaped into action, and he snatched the notebook away.

"Ayumi, are you trying to scare your brother again?" he said sternly. Sayu glared at Ayumi, arms crossed over her breast.

"I was kidding," Ayumi muttered, shuffling her feet on the ground. Soichiro had tears in his eyes.

"Apologize, young lady," Sayu growled.

Ayumi did, and after her mother gave her a well-deserved slap, Touta quickly glanced around the room, as thought a bit wary of something. It made Ayumi giggle.

" _Otosan_ , you don't actually believe that I designed this fake notebook myself, do you?"

"You never know whether the shinigami are behind this." He rubbed his neck nervously when he remembered meeting those particularly creepy gods of death. _Yeesh._

"That's it." Sayu ushered both children upstairs. "Both of you, it's past your bedtime. March upstairs right now. Especially you, Ayumi. If I hear one more time from Soichiro..." She left the threat to Ayumi's imagination, but she got her point across.

After the a chorus of _good night_ s, the children ran upstairs, and Matsuda reclined on the couch, sighing with exhaustion.

"I _told_ you so," Sayu said simply as she poured Touta an extra cup of relaxing matcha green tea. "I told you there would be consequences to your bedtime story. See what Ayumi did? She _pretended_ to be using a killing device! I thought I banned any resemblances to death notes in this house a long time ago!"

"Actually, she may have picked it up from me," Touta admitted. "I have a lot to learn about parenting 101."

 _For instance: Never threatening to write your child's name down in the death note when they misbehave, no matter how angry you are at them, definitely makes the top of the list._

"Well, we all know what a bad influence you sometimes are as a father," Sayu said, but when Touta looked somewhat hurt, Sayu pinched his cheek to reassure him that she was joking. "But I still believe Soichiro is still too young to hear such tales."

"Don't worry, Sayu!" Touta accepted the tea handed to him. "I thought if Soichiro was mature enough to help his older sister learn multiplication _at his age,_ then I thought he was mature enough to handle the truth about his notorious uncle." Pride surged through Touta at the thought of his youngest one's precociousness.

Sayu rolled her eyes. Now she knew why Matsuda used to be known as the idiot back in the days when the SPK was still active.

"You're mixing up precociousness with maturity," she snapped. "You know how sensitive Soichiro is."

"I warned him that this is _not_ the type of bedtime story he would want to hear, but he just wanted to know more about his uncle sooner than later!"

Sayu said nothing, but sipped her tea in silence. She knew it wasn't that simple. The kids were taught that their uncle was known for some heinous deeds. But when Matsuda once let slip that Light was a serial killer – and his form of killing was via _death note,_ at that - the children asked for further details. Matsuda, who deep inside wanted to relate his adventures to someone(Because ordinary people would otherwise consider him bonkers), consented. It was a long but intriguing detective story though, especially where their father was concerned, and the retelling turned into a weekly series of bedtime stories every Saturday night when Matsuda came home extra early from his shift. Soichiro, who was sensitive, was at first disturbed that a relative could be so cruel, even if from Light's point of view the killing of criminals was for the greater good of society. He did, however, want to hear more about this case, as he himself was hooked to the suspense his father's story contained.

"He _wanted_ to hear the story," Touta repeated. "You could learn by observing what the kids just said, Sayu. The reason Soichiro agreed to listen was because he wants to be a police officer. He knows the risks based on the scoop I give him about my job. But he wants to be a brave and honorable person. He wants to fight crime and solve mysteries, like his role model Ryuzaki did. Even when Ayumi questions Soichiro, his mind is set."

"Honorable? Brave?" Smiling sadly, Sayu shook her head. "In a cruel world such as this, we know that price for having such traits. No wonder _Otouusan_ didn't want me married to a police officer. That said, anything to make my late brother die – twice – from embarrassment if he saw his ultra-moral nephew today."

"Mm." Touta nodded. He perfectly understood what she meant by that. Soichiro Matsuda was the spitting image of Light Yagami. Same light brown hair, same brown eyes, exact same precociousness. But what made him stand out so from his uncle was that Soichiro Matsuda inherited a strong moral compass from his late grandfather, Soichiro Yagami.

Touta thought about Ayumi. Her facial structure resembled her father's, but that was where the similarities ended. Where she lacked in brilliance, she more than made up for it with a strong, brash attitude, something Touta never had.

 _She's jealous of her little brother's intelligence and is not afraid to show it,_ Touta decided. _No wonder she acts up._

Touta sighed, his age showing through his weariness despite his normally youthful appearance. _So this turned out to be an average day in my life after the Death Note incident. The usual shift at the Task Force, only without Soichiro Yagami. The presence of Sayu's face in the evening. Breaking up fights between my two children. The taste of matcha tea every Saturday. It's a sweet day in the life, though. Well, more like a life in the day, since one day feels like an entire lifetime has passed._ Then he frowned slightly.

 _Man, I must be getting old to think this way..._

* * *

 **KoolKat: *Splutters drink everywhere* WHAT?! Aren't you the same author who writes comedic, fluffy stories about children's movies like Frozen, BH6 and Spirited Away...? Why do you choose such a dark anime all of a sudden?**

 **Me: Surprise. *smirks at alter ego* And hey, I thought it was a pretty interesting anime either way. So ssh! ;)**

 **REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THIS STORY!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

The Last Chapter

 **Fair Warning: major spoilers are here for those didn't read the Death Note One-shot Special.**

One week later.

"I'm home! _"_ Touta called from the hallway, followed by a door slam. He lay down his briefcase and took off his coat. Before he got to fully looseing his tie, though, his children ran up to him with the familiar childish screams of joy. Ayumi, as always, latched onto his waist in a bear hug, causing him to stumble forward.

Touta laughed at the gesture of affection. "Good evening, Ayumi, Soichiro. Have you both been good to your mother today?"

Ayumi rolled her eyes. "Duh, _Otousan_ , why do you keep asking this? You sound old fashioned. _"_

"Because-" Touta peeled Ayumi's fingers off his waist and clasped them tightly, "if you love _Okaasan_ so, then remember to love all your family members equally." He gave her a subtle but knowing smile meant to remind Ayumi of last week's episode. In other words: _what about Soichiro?_

" _Otousan!"_ Ayumi protested.

Touta walked into the kitchen with both children clinging onto him, to find Sayu preparing tea and dinner for everyone.

"Hey, Sayu." He greeted Sayu with a kiss. "How are you today?"

"Good evening, Touta. I'm relieved, that's what."

"Whatever for? Wait – wait! Don't tell me – because Death Note bedtime stories are over."

"For once you guessed right, Touta."

"But that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about!" Ayumi whined, pulling on her father's sleeve. "You didn't finish _all_ of the story, actually..."

"What do you mean, he didn't finish all of the story? Of course he did!" Sayu groaned. She was recovering from recent migraines, and she was _not_ in the mood for reliving a past that, unfortunately, involved a bit of her role in it (Aka when she was kidnapped a long time ago. She still had nightmares).

"I thought we were through with this!" she said. "Oh, and I stand by my previous statements: children should _not_ be exposed to such mature content."

"No, no!" Ayumi protested. "I'm fine! _Otousan_ , you still didn't tell us about that other Death Note incident that happened three years after Kira died."

"Wait, there's more to tell?" Soichiro asked curiously, in spite of his wariness.

Touta chuckled awkwardly. "Why, yes. In fact-"

" _Ahem,"_ Sayu cut off Touta reproachfully. He was getting ahead of himself again.

"Come on, Sayu, I promise the outcome of this story will not be scary this time!" Touta pleaded, eager for an audience again.

Sayu rubbed her temples before giving in.

"You people give me nightmares with your obsession with scary stories! Fine, go ahead, knock yourselves out for all I care," Sayu replied shortly, crossing her arms over her breast.

* * *

After dinner:

"...It was 2016 when yet _another_ Kira emerged," Matsuda began. "Ayumi, you were only a year old when this happened. This new Kira murdered the elderly to 'relieve their pain.'" Touta scoffed. "That's when Near comes into the picture."

Soichiro's eyes widened while Ayumi squealed with anticipation.

"Unfortunately," Touta continued, "Near didn't get much involved in the case because he deduced that this Kira, or Cheap-Kira for short, wasn't working the way a real Kira would; therefore, Cheap-Kira wasn't a worthy adversary."

"Sucker," Ayumi muttered.

"Near took on L's way of looking at cases. Like Ryuzaki, solving difficult cases was his hobby and not meant for justice at all."

"So much for my role model, L," Soichiro muttered darkly.

"Now, now, Soichiro," Touta laughed. "At least, that's just what I heard. I still think it's hard not to get physically involved in a serial killer case without getting emotionally involved, too. You-" he patted his son, "-are so sensitive to injustice that if you become a police officer, you'll be hunting down baddies 24/7!"

"No wonder he's such a sensitive wuss," Ayumi murmured. When her mother threatened to send her to bed right away, she blinked innocently and stuttered, "Uh – um, what I mean is, _good_ sensitive. Sensitive in a good way. Yeah. Continue?"

"So 'L' announced on national television that he didn't care about the case, only calling Cheap-Kira an 'abominable murderer'. And guess what? The attacks halted completely. Yes, the life expectancy in Japan had gone up from number 6 internationally to number 1 again. What's more, a dead suspect showed up on the same day. The likely cause of death was determined to be a heart attack."

"Maybe that suspect was the C-Kira!" Ayumi screeched.

"Because maybe it was more than just heart attack – he committed suicide via Death Note," Soichiro added thoughtfully.

"Right you are, Soichiro," Touta said encouragingly. "That's what we think, too."

"So is that the end of the story? Well, _t_ _hat_ was short," huffed Ayumi. "But you also forgot to tell us how you and _Okaasan_ got together in spite of your age ranges.

Sayu giggled, for this was often the question she encountered.

"Well," Touta chuckled hesitantly, "it's nothing extraordinary. One day, we just fell in love. Age is but a number."

"That isn't what _Okaasan_ thought at first!" Ayumi pointed out.

"True," Sayu admitted. "But what did I know about love back then? At first, I was only a college freshman when I met Touta. He was cute, but frankly-" she smiled, "-he was a bit immature for his age. "

"Was _not_!" Touta cried out, half indignant.

Sayu laughed at the deliberate jab. "Then why did your colleagues always say that?"

"Oh, like that Aizawa?" Touta scoffed. "Ugh, it's just so like him to be uptight about everything! He couldn't take a joke if it hit him in the face!"

"I think he means the 'joke' as himself," Sayu whispered to the children, and the three of them burst into peals of laughter, to Touta's bemusement. For Sayu was referring to Matstuda's first encounter with Aizawa. As the story went, before they even met, Touta accidentally hit Aizawa in the face, provoking the latter and making him rant nonstop about inexperienced members' clumsiness. Later both became properly acquainted and grudgingly made up. Unfortunately, Matsuda hit Aizawa in the face again while demonstrating to another colleague _how_ he accidentally hit Aizawa.

"Let's just say that with your polar personalities, it's no wonder you two don't get along," Sayu teased.

"Yeah...but actually," he said in all seriousness, "I think Aizawa and I have started getting along more nowadays. For instance, he offered to come with me when I went off to investigate a tricky case in one dangerous region." He chortled. "Told him it was very nice of him, but as always, he passes off the reason as 'because I am stupid enough to get mugged without even knowing I'm mugged.'"

The rest of his family laughed till their sides split. When Sayu recovered, she landed him a lingering kiss on the cheek, making Touta mildly but pleasantly surprised.

"Thanks, Sayu, but why all of all sudden-?"

"And that's what makes 'idiot' Touta Matsuda so lovable and cute," Sayu purred. "...Matsuda-chan." And she lovingly stroked Matsuda's chin-length hair and slipped part of it over his ear, making him blush a bit.

 _Kissing? Stroking? Calling me by -chan again? She...she hasn't been this affectionate in a while! True, we've had tensions along the road, but..._

"Ah, I see what you did there," Touta replied, beaming. In response, like a bashful young schoolboy, he edged closer to Sayu.

One was _never_ too old to flirt.

"Ugh," Ayumi groaned. " _Otousan_ and _Okaasan_ are being kissy-wissy fuzzy-wuzzy with each other again! I'm going to bed. C'mon, Sochiro, there's nothing else to look at." She dragged her older brother away and upstairs.

"We'll say good night to you both!" Sayu called after them. She squeezed her husband's hand, smiling up at him. "Well, that's one way to send the kids to bed."

"Hm. Definitely." And Touta responded by sweeping his wife up in an embrace, not willing to break the magical moment. Then, still lapping up the affections, he laid his head onto Sayu's lap while she lovingly stroked his hair.

"Sayu," he said, for his head was still filled with questions.

"Hm?"

"I never asked you this: Why are you so content to put up with an idiot of a husband?"

"What? Just because I love you, you lovable idiot," she teased.

"I know. Look, what I'm saying is, why did you choose an idiot who was called that for most of his career ? Who is terrible at picking out bedtime stories? Who could be as intelligent as Light, for once?"

Sayu's fingers faltered in his hair.

"Whoever told you that you have to be as intelligent as Light, let me write their name in the Death Note for once," she responded coldly. Touta felt revived over his wife's zeal and strong love for him. "It depends what you call 'intelligent', Touta. What, do you want to be like my brother, who started killing because he thinks _he knew better,_ since he was so smart? Touta Matsuda, you are nothing like him. Sure, he hated evil as much as the next normal person, but he was cold and proud; this much I know now. And look what it turned him into. No, you're not like Light. You're you. I couldn't be more proud of that."

"And what makes me the 'me' that you're so proud of?" Touta asked, prying.

"Well, you're still a little unpredictable..."

"Eh?!"

"...and sweet. And affectionate. And moral. And geniune. I love you just the way you are."

"I- I have to admit, though, I'm no better than him. Light, that is."

"And why's that?"

"Ehhh," Touta started off nervously, "Like him, I- I kinda saw – and even found appealing – the benefits of a new world order where crime and war would decrease significantly. I mean, what would _you_ think about such an amazing world?"

"Well," Sayu responded thoughtfully, "simply put, I think such things exist because humanity _chooses_ to be this way. I'm not saying this is necessarily a good thing, but don't individuals come into the world with the gift to _choose_ how they want to live?"

"That's a good question," he said, and he yawned sleepily. After that, they didn't say much more, and the only sounds that filled the room were the tinkling of the LED water fountain somewhere, Sayu stroking Touta's smooth hair, and his steady breathing as he was dozing off in her lap(It had been another long, tiring day).

Then Sayu leaned towards Touta's ear and whispered, "And I didn't want to acknowledge this at first, but a Death Note bedtime story is a genius plan, actually. What better way to teach our kids to question life and morality?"

Touta was relieved.

 _Maybe I'm not such a bad parent, after all..._

At least he could sleep better tonight with this knowledge.

* * *

 **There need to be more Sayu/Touta Matsuda ships in the fandom, amiright?**

 **Headcanon: Sayu and Matsuda and known to frequently have a strained relationship, but by the end of the day, they are still in love with each other. :P**

 **Thanks for reading! Review, maybe? :)**


End file.
